In Thursday's press conference, the coaches agreed there would be some tough games ahead in Nagoya
Nagoya, Japan, September 7, 2017 – The FIVB Volleyball World Grand Champions Cup moved to Nagoya on Thursday and the day off allowed the team coaches to reflect on the two days played in Tokyo and the three games ahead in Nagoya.
USA coach Karch Kiraly: We’re very happy to transfer here to Nagoya today and we are looking forward to playing against three very strong teams. It will be a wonderful test for us to see what skill level we’re at at this time.
Russia coach Vladimir Kuziutkin: As all of you are aware, we now have the second half of the competition and you know there are no easy games, not even one of them. All the matches will be full of surprises and we will continue to have some great volleyball games.
Brazil coach Jose Guimaraes: It’s great to be able to be here with the Brazil team. We had two games in Tokyo and they were very difficult and played at a high level. In Nagoya, we will have three games and all will be difficult. We have a very young team, so it’s good to play against the world’s best and the world’s strongest. It’s a good opportunity for my young team.
Japan coach Kumi Nakada: In Tokyo, many fans came to cheer for us and I want to thank them for that. I’m not sure I could meet their expectations, maybe because of my shortcomings, but in the next three matches we want to keep our challenger spirit and fight as one. Brazil is a different team from the World Grand Prix and they could well change their system. It will be fiercely competitive and I want to use all my players. Some players have never played teams like this in their life and they are really feeling the significance of wearing the rising sun on their shirts. When the match starts, the feelings I had as a player come back to me, but it’s different. If I’m a player, I can do something about it. As a coach, I hope the players will do it.
China coach Jiaje An: I’m happy to be able to come to Nagoya. We will have three matches here and will play teams with different styles. I hope my team will be able to cope with these different styles of play.
Korea coach Hong Sungjin: Our team has mostly younger players and they gained a lot of experience in the Tokyo round. This will be an important part of our plans as we look toward 2020. I hope to recruit about three regular players from this young team for competitions next year. I hope we will learn many things in this tournament.
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Friday’s schedule:
USA v Russia
China v Korea
Japan v Brazil